Dauphin County Prison inmate accused of trying to arrange the murder of his wife by mail

DAUPHIN COUNTY — A Dauphin County Prison inmate has been charged with criminal solicitation to commit murder after authorities say he attempted to arrange...

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Author: Keith Schweigert (FOX43)

Published: 12:56 PM EST March 7, 2019

Updated: 12:56 PM EST March 7, 2019

DAUPHIN COUNTY — A Dauphin County Prison inmate has been charged with criminal solicitation to commit murder after authorities say he attempted to arrange his wife’s murder after she refused to drop charges against him for an earlier attack on her.

Leroy Newton Vencak Jr. is accused of soliciting another person by mail to murder his wife, providing details about the home where she lived.

Vencak was being held in Dauphin County Prison on charges of aggravated assault and strangulation stemming from an earlier attack on his wife, according to the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office.

When detectives confronted Vencak and told him they were submitting his letter for DNA analysis, Vencak allegedly confessed to requesting the murder by mail. He told detectives he thought his wife was a “rat” for speaking to police about the earlier assault and refusing to drop the charges, authorities say.

The victim was alerted when the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office was made aware of the letter, and she was moved to a new location while the investigation was underway, authorities say.

Magisterial District Judge Michael J. Smith ordered Vencak to be held in the Dauphin County Prison without bail on the new charge.